A Cup of Coffee at the SoulCafe

What happens when a dean of theology opens a pastoral retreat-and-cafe for people who traditionally are suspicious of organized religion?

Leonard Sweet, dean of the Drew University School of Theology, happened upon the God-and-cafe business by chance while driving through the scenic Canaan Valley in West Virginia. "My soul was hijacked by the sense that somehow my destiny was caught up with this plot of planet Earth, where God did some of creation's finest artwork," he remembers. "So I managed to squeeze together three free hours to shop around for some property."

Soon, he was the new owner of a stretch of the valley, with no idea how he would pay for the purchase. But after borrowing from banks, his friends and his pension fund, he opened Sweet's Body and SoulCafe and Mountain Store in the old railroad and mining town of Thomas, population 200.

The SoulCafe is a place of reflection where one can step back and ask how the soul is recovered," Sweet says. "After all, God gave us the mountain peaks as one of the soul's native habitats. It is here that perspective is regained and we realize God is near at hand to help us on our journey to spiritual wholeness."

The cafe is also a habitat for the high-tech, a "cutting edge" with Internet connections to accompany the cappuccino. Furthermore, it's the inspiration for Sweet's newest book, A Cup of Coffee at the SoulCafe (Rodman and Holman, 180 pp), a collection of meditations on spirituality and modern life packed with Bible verses and quotes from philosophers. He wrote the book to bring the message of the Gospel to those who are suspicious of organized religion but intrigued with spirituality.

"The culture is high on God and low on the church," he says, noting that some people think denominations are too wrapped up in internal affairs. Like stained-glass windows that only face inside a church, "we only tell stories to our own" says Sweet. "What I'm trying to do is turn those stained-glass windows outward."

America, says Sweet, is in the midst of a "massive God rush" and like a gold rush, "there's a lot of false gold out there." But despite the proliferation of angel pins, Zen manuals and New Age talismans, Christianity still has a role to play.

"This culture is very hostile to the Christian faith," says Sweet. "But I would argue that Christianity really hasn't shown itself. People associate Christianity--wrongly--with being mean-spirited or intolerant. When I talk to people, I say I am a disciple of Jesus."

That, Sweet says, takes the focus off organized religion and puts it back on Christ, where he says it belongs. The book also calls on Christians to let themselves be molded by God.

"God wants to prepare for us something that we cannot possibly understand or predict" Sweet says. "Only by accepting God's plan, not ours, will we find the ultimate fulfillment."

He also warns against complacency: "You can't leave anything for posterity if you don't get off your posterior. Just trust the Spirit. Be prepared--so you can be quick enough on your feet for the challenges you'll face."

COPYRIGHT 1998 News World Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning